Dead minnows are often used as fishing bait to catch trout, bass, walleyes and other types of game fish normally found in fresh water. Traditionally, one or more hooks would be rigged to the minnow by passing the hook through the mouth of the minnow, tail or dorsal fin with the hooks connected to each other with fishing line secured to leader material. A sinker tied to the fishing line in spaced relationship to the rigged minnow would then be used to sink the minnow to a desired depth for use in casting, jigging and trolling.
One problem associated with the aforementioned fishing rig is the difficulty associated with rigging the hooks together with the sinker. A further problem is that the sinker spaced from the minnow tends to exert a lateral force that detracts from a lifelike appearance of the minnow when it is used as a bait in trolling or jigging.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,839,814 to Sykora discloses a device for fishing with a dead minnow comprising a cylindrical gorge engaging member in the form of a lead weight attached to a bait frame. This frame is a three sided wire member having a substantially straight horizontal bottom arm, a curved top arm integral with a forward end of the bottom arm and a substantially vertical arm releasably engageable with a top curved arm. In use, the dead minnow is fixed to the device by inserting the gorge engaging weight in the mouth of the minnow and passing the vertical part of the frame completely through the minnow (piercing the belly and dorsal fin) so that it may reengage the top curved frame member. The top and bottom of frame members extend along and outside the minnow with a forward hook secured to the top member inserted into the dorsal fin and a rear hook secured to an upper portion of a minnow between the dorsal fin and tail.
The foregoing device disclosed in the '814 patent constitutes an improvement to the prior art fishing rig and sinker since the gorge engaging member functions as a sinker and thereby eliminates the use of a separate sinker which would otherwise detract from the lifelike appearance of the minnow drawn through the water. However, one disadvantage of the Sykora device is that it is relatively complicated to manufacture in view of its requirement of a wire frame of complex shape. Another problem associated with the Sykora device is that the top and bottom wire arms extend along the minnow and tend to detract from its lifelike appearance.
A further problem associated with the Sykora device is that it is necessary to insert the cross arm through the body of the dead minnow so as to secure the cross arm to the top arm. Insertion of the cross arm through the dead minnows body may be messy and may also possibly distort the body, detracting from the lifelike appearance.
It is often desirable to fish with live minnows. However, since the Sykora device requires the cross arm to be inserted through the minnow's body, that device is necessarily limited to use with a dead minnow.
It is accordingly an object of the present invention to provide a device that facilitates the use of a dead minnow as a fishing bait, but that may also be used with a live minnow as a fishing bait.
Another object of the invention is to provide a device to which a dead minnow may be affixed with the minnow having a lifelike appearance when used as a bait in jigging, trolling, or casting.
Another object is to provide a fishing rig to which a dead or live minnow may be affixed, with the device being provided with a plurality of hooks attached thereto and in which one of the hooks may be fixed directly to the tail section of the minnow to prevent short strikes.
Yet another object is to provide a fishing rig in which the rig is provided with an integral weight inserted into the dead or live minnows mouth, thus eliminating the need for a separate weight or sinker and thus enhancing or not detracting from the lifelike appearance of the minnow.
Still a further object is to provide a fishing rig providing the aforementioned objects without the use of a frame having portions extending outside the minnow which detract from its lifelike appearance.
Still a further object is to provide a fishing rig having improved means for maintaining the integral weight within the minnows mouth without requiring a frame or frame portions extending through the minnow.